Hat-conformator.



No. 638,023. Patented Nov. 28, I899. S. MAYEB.&. S. H; ALTLAND.

HAT CUNFURMATOR.

' (Application flied Apr. 4, 1898.

2 Sheets-Shee'k I.

(No Model.)

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%2 II I 5] 11' u an to m Jzymwnclflayer cuuZ No. 638,!)23. Patentad Novr28, I899. S. MAYER &. S. H. ALTLAND.

HAT CONFORMATOR.

(Application filgd. Apr. 4, 1898.) (N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I ///////////p (mum!!! n u I 11/10/1111, 11/1/1/1/1111111/1lllllmllllllll NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

SIGMUND MAYER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, AND SAMUEL H. ALTLAND, OFINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

HAT-CONFORMATOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 638,023, dated November28, 1899.

Application filed April 4, 1898. Serial No. 676,487. (No model-l To allwhom it may concern Be it known that we, SIGMUND MAYER, residing atCincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, and SAMUEL H.ALT- LAND, a resident of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State ofIndiana, citizens of the United States, have invented new and usefulImprovements in I'Iat-Gonformators, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatclass of conformators in which the vertical conformator-barsautomatically adjust themselves in position to accurately fit the headof the person to which the apparatus is applied and in which the saidbars are locked in position after adjustment, as will be hereinaftermore fully set forth.

The object of this our invention is to provide meanswhereby the upperhorizontal inwardly-inclined end portions of the conformator-bars willslide in suitable fixed guideways, to provide means for locking the topends of said bars to retain them in position when adjusted and means forregistering the contour of the head of the person to which the apparatusis applied, and by the pattern so formed to rearrange the said bars intheir relative positions in conformity with such pattern at any future.time when so desired. We attain these objects by means of the apparatusillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar numeralsdesignate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of our apparatus. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional View of the same, taken through the line A B, Fig. 1. Fig. 3is an inverted plan view of the platenholder plate and platen. Fig. 4 isa longitudinal sectional View of the same, taken through the line C D,Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents detailbroken-off section and plan views ofthat portion of the platen-holder plate which is engaged by thespring-catch of the paper or card holder or retainer. Fig. 6 is a planView of the paper-retainer. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal side'view of thesame. Fig. 8 is an inverted plan view and a longitudinal side view ofthe guide-piece for guiding the top inwardly-inclined end portions ofthe conformator-bars. Fig. 9 is a plan and a side View of the table onwhich the top ends of the conformator-bars are supported. Fig. 10 is alongitudinal sectional side view of the table, paper-holder, and platen,taken through the line A B, Fig. 1, and showing the manner of assemblingthe same. Fig. 11 is a detail perspective broken-off view of the topportion of one of the conformator-bars; and Fig. 12 is a view of a card,showing a pattern formed by the barbs or puncturing-points of theconformator-bars.

The supporting-frame of the apparatus is elliptical in form and iscomposed of the inner rim 1, the outer rim 2, and the radiating tubularguide-pieces 3, which connect said inner and outer rims to form asingleintegral piece.

The conformator-bars l, having supportingstems 7, adapted to operate inthe tubular guide-pieces 3, extend vertically and are offset or steppedinwardly at their top portions a sufficient amount to cause their outertop surfaces 5 to be in alinement with their inner bottom surfaces 6, sothat when the conformator is applied to any particular form ofhead thetop outer surfaces 5 of the conformatorbars 4 will represent the truesize and form of such head, and to which form the hat may beapplied tobe formed or molded into the proper shape to conform with the contour ofsaid head to which the apparatus has been applied.

The conformator-bars 4 are slightly flared outwardly at their bottomends 5 for the purpose of more readily applying the apparatus to thehead of an individual, and said conformator-bars have their top endportions curved inwardly to terminate in horizontal inwardly-inclinedportions 9, which rest on the top surface of the table 10 and are heldin their proper positions thereon by the guiding-rim 11, in theguideways 12 of which the said end portions 9 of said bars freely slide.

The table 10 is supported in its proper position by the standards 13,which are formed with the bends 14, which bends are provided for thepurpose of forming a stop or gage to prevent the conformator beingpressed down too far on the head to be measured. The said standards areremovably and adjustably secured at their bottom ends to the lugs 15 bysuitable retaining-nuts 15, screwed on said standards above and beneathsaid lugs, and the top ends of said standards are screwed into the tableor otherwise firmly secured thereto.

The table 10 is elliptical in form and has its central portion 16elevated to an extent equal to the thickness of the ends 9 of theconformator bars 4. The guide-rim 11 is firmly secured to said table 10by suitable securing-screws and is provided with the hingelugs 17 andthe eyebolt-lugs 18, between and to which said eyebolt 19 is pivoted.The platen-plate 20 has its under side dished, and in this dished orhollow portion is secured a platen or pad of paper composition, rubber,or other suitable pliable composition capable of being punctured by thepin-points 21 of the conformator-bars 4. The platen-plate 20 is hingedon the lugs 17 and is provided with the bifurcated lug 22, between thebifurcations of which the eyebolt 19 is adapted to pass, and by thethumb-nut 23 of which latterbolt the said platen-plate 20 is clamped tothe table 10. The paper-holder 24 is formed of a thin pliablematerial-such as sheet-steel, brass, or aluminiumand is provided withthe hinge-lugs 25 which are adapted to fit between the lugs 17 and thelugs 25 andto swing on the same hinge-pin orhinge-center, and the saidholder is provided with the spring-catches 26, which are adapted toengage the rounded edges 27 of the platenholder plate between the lugs22 and the lugs 28.

An elastic band 29, which may be of rubber, or it may be a coiled-wirespring, and is preferably made removable or detachable from theconformator-bars 4 by means of a suitable hook-and-eye connection,encircles said bars 4 and is provided for the purpose of simultaneouslymoving said bars inwardly or toward the central portion of thesupporting frame or rim and to automatically adjust said bars to conformto any profile of head.

We will now proceed to describe the application of our invention and themanner of using the same.

The thumb-screw 19 is first disengaged from the platen-lugs 22 and theplaten-holder plate 20 is swung upwardly till the platen thereof is outof contact with any of the .perforating barbs or pins 21. Therecording-card 30, which is to be perforated to form the pattern, isplaced against the platen and clamped against the surface of the same bymeans of the paper-holder 24, which is pressed to close against the saidplaten to hold said recordpaper 30 in its proper position. Theconformator is'now applied to the head of a person required to be fittedand the bars 4automatically adjust themselves to the contour of thehead, no matter how irregular the form of the same may be. Theplaten-plate 20 is now pressed down in place till the barbs or pins 21penetrate completely through the card 30 and perforate the surface ofthe said platen, by which latter means of engagement the bars 4 arelocked in place. Before removing the conformator from the head to whichit is applied the thumb-screw 19 is caused to secure the plate-platen 20in its closed position. The conformator is now ready to be removed, anda hat may be now blocked or molded to the form or mold in the usual andwell-known manner by applying the said hat to the mold formed by the topportions 5 of the conformator-bars 4 and by the application of heat andneeds no description.

When it is required to furnish a hat to fit a certain head the form ofwhich has been previously recorded, the corresponding card or pattern isplaced on the table 10 and the bars 4 are each alternately set withtheir barbs or pins 21 entering the perforations previously formed inthe pattern, after which proceeding the paper-holder 24 is closed andsecured in thisposition to lock said bars 4 in position.

To facilitate the quick adjustment of the bars, which must be done bytaking them one at a time, the encircling elastic. band 29 is preferablyremoved. It is also preferable to remove said band after having taken apattern and before removing said pattern from the platen in order thatthe barbs or pins 21 do not tear or otherwise injure the form of thepattern formed.

Having thus fully described this our invention, what we claim as new anduseful, and desire to cover by Letters Patent of the United Statestherefor, is

In a hat-conformator, a supporting-frame of elliptic form, composed ofan inner and an outer ring with a series of radial tubular guide-piecesconnecting same, a series of conformator-bars provided near their lowerends with supporting-stems adapted to operate in the tubular guidesaforesaid, a table provided with standards having means for adj ustablyconnecting same with the supporting-frame, a rim having radial guides toreceivet-he u pper bent ends of the conformator-bars,upwardly-projecting puncturing-barbs on said bars, a plate-platen and apaper-holder with means for securing the parts together, substantiallyas set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence ofthe subscribing witnesses.

SIGMUN D MAYER. SAMUEL H. ALTLAND. \Vitnesses as to the signature ofSigmund Mayer:

THOMPSON R. BELL, JOHN H. STERN. \Vitnesses as to the signature ofSamuel 11. Altland:

THOMPSON R. BELL, WILLIAM P. MOONEY.

